Kousei
by ShaduofTexitar
Summary: Old threats revive themselves, in different forms. And new threats come with them. Can Yugi and Yami hold their friendship? Or will it be torn? Rated for mild language in later chapters.


Shadu: Hey everyone, yes, it's been a while. Yes, it's a new story. This is one my friend and I are writing. It's the most interesting part of the saga-like story, so we decided we'd post it. It'll be put up for a while, and then as we write it. So enjoy. There are a couple of new characters, but we'll explain who they are.

Ch. 1

Return

"Aden! Time for dinner!"

Rae watched the scene in the backyard from the doorway. It was a big backyard, a swing set over to the side so she could only see the two from a slight distance. She smiled, though, as immediately both heads in the background perked and saw her. She watched as the taller one-Yami-helped the younger one descend from the swing, taking his small hand.

"Hey Rae," Yami said, giving her a kiss on the cheek as he walked past her.

"Hey," she replied happily, shutting the door. Her eyes trailed the little spikes of red and black hair that walked by. Suddenly, though, the spikes disappeared as the little boy they belonged to looked up at her with big emerald eyes.

"And how're you? Ready to eat?" she asked, sinking to his low height.

"Mm-hmm," he nodded.

"Good," Yami smiled.

Yami and Aden went to the cabinet, Yami getting plates from the higher shelf and Aden grabbing forks and spoons from the low drawer.

"Oh, Yugi said he was going to come over for dinner," Rae stated.

"Brother Yugi coming?" Aden perked.

"Yes," Rae nodded. "Set out a place for him too."

Aden smiled broadly and giggled, eagerly getting out an extra set of silverware. Rae and Yami looked at each other and smiled as the doorbell rang.

"I get it! I get it!" Aden dashed over to the front door, his little white socks thumping lightly on the wood floor. Though he was barely able to reach the doorknob, Aden still managed to open the door.

"Yugi!" he exclaimed.

"Hey Aden," Yugi smiled, picking the young child up.

"I glad you here," Aden grinned.

"Well," Yugi chuckled. "I'm glad to be here."

"Hey Yugi," Yami called from the dining room. "How's college been treating you?  
"It's college," Yugi sighed.

Yami had finally gotten his own body, after finding he was not happy in the afterlife. He and Yugi worked as a team and found a way to give Yami his own body, and in effect, his life. In doing so, they met a young doctor to help them. But Yami soon found that, to him, the doctor was much more than just a helper. Her name was Rae.

After the two had wed, Yugi and Yami both had been invited to a magic school in Japan. Yugi had gone and Yami soon followed. The first year they shared there was full of turmoil. All they have from that first span of time was nothing but dark memories, and sad memories as two close friends had succumbed to the icy grips of death. However, silver could also be found in this cloud too.

Fleeing from his abusive father, Joey had wandered his way to Japan. And, if that couldn't be topped, Yami and Rae had their first child after settling down in Japan itself.

Though Yami's appearance hadn't changed at all since these events started happening, Yugi had changed quite a bit. His features had sharpened and he seemed to have grown into his eyes. He had also grown taller and was almost as tall as Joey and Yami, though he still was the runt of the group. He had matured greatly as well, both physcially and mentally. His voice had gotten a lot lower and sounded simliar to Yami's. Aside from that, he found that, while he was still sweet, he wasn't nearly as innocent and sensitive as he used to be. This, however, was to be expected and was a good thing.

"How are things with Robinette? Rae asked, placing the food on the table.

Yugi blushed a little at the question. "Good. A year and still going strong."

"Hurry up and marry her," Yami playfully jabbed.

Yugi laughed, his blushed deepening. "And you two are well, I'm guessing?"

"Yep, sure are," Yami replied, watching Aden and helping him up as he squirmed into his seat.

The four began their meal, talking about things that'd been going on. Rae and Yami didn't get to talk to Yugi as much as they had now that he was busy with college, his girlfriend, keeping up with his independent game shop, similar to the one his grandfather had owned, and keeping up with the rest of his friends, who all still went to the same magic school. Yugi and his friends-Jetta, Saidi, and, ever since he came to Japan a few years ago, Joey-were all becoming skilled magic users as well as normal college kids.

"You really should rejoin the classes Yami," Yugi pointed a fork at Yami. "The courses really are interesting. I'd think you'd enjoy it."

"Nah," Yami shook his head. "I can't anymore. I have a family now Yugi."

"Yeah, I know, I know," Yugi laughed.

Yami's face darkened a little.  
"What's the matter?" Yugi asked. "Something I said?"

"No…it's just…thinking about the school, and the reasons I quit going, reminded me of Magic."

Yugi's eyes widened a little, and then looked back down. "I almost forgot."

"I still can't believe that he passed away over four years ago," Yami looked up. "It still hurts. I miss him."

"If it hadn't been for Damien, he'd still be here," Rae added.

Aden looked up at the three adults quizzically. "Who Magic?"

"Oh," Yugi and Yami looked at each other.

"Uh…he was a good friend of your father's a few years ago, just before you were born."

"Hey, I almost forgot," Yugi smiled, getting out a small, rectangular present wrapped in shining wrapping paper. "These are for you, Aden. An early birthday present since I may or may not see you on your birthday."

Aden eagerly grabbed the box and opened it to find a deck box filled with Duel Monster cards underneath the shiny paper. He pulled out the cards and surfed through them, taking in each and every one.

"These are so cool!" Aden grinned up at Yugi. "Thanks!"

"You're welcome," Yugi smiled broader.

"I was wondering when you would give him cards," Yami stated. "Of course, he won't be able to play with them for a little while yet."

"I'm sure you can remedy that," Rae told Yami, who smiled.

"True." Yami sighed, thinking. "Wow, it's been a while since I played though. The last time I did was with you and Jetta a couple of years ago Yugi."

"Yeah, I know," Yugi laughed. "We should try again sometime."

"Me too?" Aden's little voice chirped between their conversation. Yami smiled and put a hand on his son's head.

"Of course. 'You too.'"

Aden smiled.

Dinner concluded and a few hour's time found Yami with a sleeping Aden on the couch and Yugi in the chair.

"Here you go," Rae handed Yugi a mug of hot chocolate.

"Thanks," Yugi took the offered object.

Rae sat by Yami and Aden as Yugi turned back to the movie. She looked down at Aden as he leaned against Yami, who had his arm softly around Aden's shoulders. Sensing he was being watched, he glanced up at her and smiled.

"He's like an angel," Yami stated.

"Sure is," Rae nodded.

"Wish Magic could meet him. He so desperately wanted to."

"Yeah. I think he'd really like him."

"You know…" Yugi added. "Aden might be a little afraid of Magic."

"How do you figure?" Rae looked at him.

"He's big, he's an animal, he's got teeth," Yugi shrugged. "That's intimidating to anyone when they first meet him."

"True, but Aden would like him for sure," Yami stated.

"If only he hadn't fought Damien," Yugi looked at the swirls in his mug. "If only I had been stronger."

"Nothing would've changed," Yami said. "Magic still would've died sometime. He was old Yugi. He was ready to go. I'm just glad he died doing what he saw honorable."

"Yeah…"

The movie continued until eventually Yugi left to go back to school to study for an upcoming test. Yami and Rae finished cleaing up before Yami gently picked Aden up, taking him to his room. The father slowly set his son down on his blue racecar sheets and tucked him in, smiling in the darkness of the room only lit from the hall lights. He sighed and glanced around at the light blue walls and little stuffed animals and keepsakes from the past few years. He then remembered when Yugi had stayed in that room, after the tradegy of the first year. He couldn't help but think of how Yugi had grown up so much.

Yami continued to let his mind wander for a few mintues before glancing back down at Aden, who snuggled Yugi's old Kuriboh plushie close to him. It'd always been the small child's favorite thing ever since Yugi gave it to him on his first birthday. Yami remembered when that thing had brought Yugi comfort and was happy that it gave Aden comfort too. Ever since the day Aden was born, Yugi had been like a brother to him, so much so that Aden had taken to calling Yugi 'brother Yugi.'

Yami perked suddenly when he heard a rustle in the bushes just outside Aden's window. Yami softly left the room and eased outside, grabbing the pistol he had gotten for safety on his way out.

Quietly, he slipped around the house to the side he had heard the noise from. Jumping aroundthe corner, he held out his gun, and then dropped it in confusion when he saw a grey fluffy tail sticking out of the bushes.

"Couldn't be," he told himself. He took an uneasy step towards it, still being cautious. "Who's there?" he called as though he'd get an anser. He waited for a response only to receive another rustle as the tail danced around.

There was a second before anything else happened. Then, a voice called back at him.

"Who do you think?"

"Magic?" Yami walked to the greenry and pulled the tail to dislodge the body to find a grey wolf was attatched.

"The one and only," Magic smiled tiredly as he looked up at Yami after being freed.

"How…what…?" Yami was speechless.

"I finally completed my training with Master," Magic replied. "And he held up his end of the deal and sent me back."

"You were busy trainging in the afterlife this whole time?...Your master could revive you?!"

"Yes and yes. He _could've_ returned me the minute I saw him again, but he wanted me to train more. And now that I have trained, I can tell I needed it. I learned new things and was reminded of things I had forgotten. Now, I'm much stronger, both physically and with magic. Sorry it took so long. I really wanted to be back for your son's birth. How old is he now? I lost track of time training. How long has it really been?"

"Almost five years," Yami stated.

"Five years? Wow," Magic breathed. "Did you ever name him?" a chuckle and a smile played on his mouth.

"Aden, Aden Simon Mutou," Yami annouced proudly.

"Simon huh?" Magic raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, we thought it fit since Simon gave his life for us, for us to have a chance at a family."

"Yeah, I agree. So, how old is he?"  
"Three, going on four," Yami replied.

"Wow," Magic repeated, then he sighed. "I wish I hadn't missed so much already…I really wanted to be there for him. And now Yugi and Jetta and Saidi…they're all adults now. I can't believe I missed so much…"

Yami saw Magic's distraught face and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry Magic," he said worriedly. "Yes, you've been gone, but Yugi's only in college, he's not going anywhere anytime soon. Trust me, college kids aren't exactly adults," Yami laughed. "As for Aden, he's only three; you have plenty of time to bond with him."  
"Yes," Magic chuckled. "I guess you've got a point."

"So, what all have you been doing, besides training?" Yami changed the subject.

"Nothing, it's all been training," Magic chuckled. "And I got to see Simon one more time."  
"Really? Did he seem happy?"

"Yeah. He was," Magic sighed. "Even though he knew he was virtually committing suicide by facing his own vampire lord, he did it any way. Simon even showed me the magic circle he burned into his own skin to stop his curse and keep Damien from controlling him. He's truly one of the most courageous people I know. I mean, facing death, and mutilating yourself willingly for the good of people you never knew…"

"Yeah," Yami thought for a second longer. "Well, come on inside. It's getting cold and dark."

"Alright," Magic stood. "I could use some rest anyway."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I didn't get must rest all these years," Magic shrugged. "Master's a tough trainer."

"Well, come on in then. I know Rae will be excited to see you. I sure am," Yami smiled, giving Magic a warm hug. "It's just so strange that your back, just like that! I…I've missed you, Magic. I thought I'd never see you again."

Magic returned Yami's gesture before pulling away.

"I know. I missed you guys too."

Yami led Magic inside the house, which, thoguh it hadn't changed on the outside, was very different inside. New furniture was arranged in a much different layout than before, and the kitchen had been redone with a warm, pale yellow, brightening the walls and matching the oak cabinets and flooring. Somehow, their house seemed even more homely and comforting than Magic remembered.

Magic yawned and stretched lazily, hopping onto the couch.

"So, what exactly is Yugi doing?" Magic looked up as Yami sat in the chair.

"College," Yami stated. "He's rooming with Joey now."

"Joey?" Magic raised his eyebrows. "When'd he get here?"

"A little after you left."

"Huh…anything else going on with Yugi?"

"He's got a girlfriend."

"Really now?"

"Yep. Her name's Robinetter. He met her about a year ago at school. She's a nice girl."

Magic sighed before he suddenly perked again, hearing a familiar voice.

"Hey, Yami? Where did we put Aden's-" Rae casually came into the room and gasped and jumped when she saw Magic, blinking her eyes in disbelief.

"Magic?! Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me," Magic nodded and smiled.

"How? How are you here?"

Magic explained to her what had happened, how Yami had sent him to his master in the Shadow Realm. He explained how Master's deal worked. He told her how grueling the training Master had put him through was.

"Wow," Rae noted after Magic was done. "You've been busy."

"Yeh," Magic chuckled. "Whoever said that death was peaceful was wrong."

"I'm just glad you're back," Rae smiled, running a hand through her partly pulled back hair.

Really, Magic noticed that she didn't look different from before at all, except that her hair seemed a little bit shorter, still down to her mid-back. As for Yami, he hadn't seemed to change either, except possibly growing an inch or two. Besides what he was being told, it was as though no time had really passed.

Magic glanced up at the picture on the wall. He stood and slowly went over to it, his eye studying it curiously. A little baby with tiny locks of wavy, tri-colored hair was in a blue outfit, his big green eyes looking up at the camera as arms held him.

Magic smiled. "Is this your son? Is this Aden?"

Rae walked over to him. "Yep, that's him at three months." She went over to the mantle above the fireplace and picked up another picture. "That's him most recently. He's almost four."

"So Yami said. But he didn't tell me what the little guy looked like," he paused. "He's most definately got his daddy's hair and his mother's eyes," he smiled. "Sharp, intelligent eyes. He looks bright."

"He is," Yami nodded. "He's real bright. Picks up on things rather quickly. He's also very shy."

"Got the 'Yugi gene', huh?"

Rae and Yami laughted.

"Most certianly," Yami nodded.

"Yeah, he does," Rae agreed. "He's a sweet, sharp kid, just shy."  
Magic smiled, studying the picture for another second before handing it back to Rae.

"It's too bad I couldn't be here to become his friend as a baby," Magic sighed. "But at least I'm here now." He yawned, his tiredness poking through again. "Tomorrow…could I meet him?"

Yami smiled. "Of course you can. He'll be scampering around early tomorrow morning, I'm sure. He always is. I have to go to work in the morning, so I won't be here to help, but I think you can handle it."

"Oh? What's your job now?"

"Well, a little over a year ago, the museum I was working for decided to open a branch dedicated to nothing but Egypt and the archeology involved with it. They asked me to own the branch, so I'm kind of the overseer of it."

"Well, that sounds cool," Magic noted. "Is it a good job?"

"Yeah," Yami nodded. "It's flexible so I have time to spend with my family."

"That's great. Sounds like it's perfect for you."

"Thanks, it is," Yami sighed. "I'm happy you're here again, as unbelievable as it is. I know everyone will be glad to see you too."

"I'll be happy to see them too."


End file.
